Commission powers wants to speed up
The competences in primary, secondary and secondary vocational education must be overhauled. As of today, the Education Authority Committee, set up by Ministers Arie Slob and Ingrid van Engelshoven, will consider this assignment. School board member Paul Zevenbergen leads the committee and explains.
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The ministers write in their letter to Parliament that the current powers in primary, secondary and secondary vocational education are too complex and that they must be overhauled. What exactly is the committee going to do?
“The first part of the assignment consists of working out the advice that has already been issued by the Education Council ('Room job for teachers' ed.). In this report, the Council recommends stacking powers. We will examine how and whether this is possible, for example by building up powers 'by building blocks'. For example, we will think about what all teachers should be able to do anyway: teaching, evaluating tests, but also what they can 'specialise' in. This can be in a subject or in a cluster of subjects, but also, for example, in the 'young child' or a competence for the age group 10-14. In addition, we must find out how teacher training should be organized to comply with the new powers. However, I would like to emphasize that these are schools of thought and that much is still open. What is clear is that it needs to be more flexible and less complex.”
Why must that?
Let me give you an example. Suppose you work in the upper years of primary education and you would like to teach in the lower years of secondary education in VMBO or HAVO / VWO. Strictly speaking, you would then have to pass a second-degree qualification and complete a whole track, even though you already have educational experience. It should be easier, especially for teachers who are already in the classroom. Now there are bottlenecks due to the partitions between sectors or there is a need for teachers who are more focused on a specific age phase ”
But, if it has to be 'easier and more flexible' how do you maintain the quality?
“The level is not in question. Teaching is an important profession and the quality of teacher training must remain at the same level. Of course this is one of the key questions to which I cannot give a ready answer. If the powers become more building block-based, we can ask the inspectorate and the NVAO quality assessor how we can ensure that the training courses remain of a sufficient standard. They can contribute ideas about this. ”
Isn't it especially nice for school boards if everything becomes more flexible? They can then easily schedule people?
“The existing powers will be respected. School boards cannot, for example, require a physics teacher with a qualified qualification to teach chemistry as well. In any case, a good personnel policy should not allow lecturers to work against their will, but a new authorization system allows you to give those who want it the opportunity to teach other courses.
Uit a AOb-survey it turned out that teachers are not keen on a drastic change of powers. They believe that employment conditions, such as salary, lower workload and the teacher shortage, have more priority.
“We took good note of that survey. We see that different groups of teachers view the changes in the powers system differently. All views are of value, but in the end we have to make choices. The teacher shortage is all around us every day and is already a priority. This is already being worked on and school boards are in the process of coming up with answers to combat this shortage. Together with the committee, we want to look further in time and make the powers future-proof. Perhaps more people will choose the teaching profession if we remove hurdles. That is always good for a profession and therefore also against the teacher shortage. ”
How do you ensure sufficient support, because competences are very much about the teachers themselves?
“We explicitly want to talk to the education sector and not about them. That is why we have carefully considered the composition of the committee, which also includes teachers, teacher educators and school leaders. They want to participate enthusiastically in addition to their busy job. We also want the sector councils and trade unions, such as the AObinvolved in the process. And we are thinking of gatherings across the country to broaden the dialogue. We are also considering other options for involving the sector. ”
A first advice will be issued before the summer and the final advice will follow at the end of this year. Isn't that a bit quick for such a major system change?
“It is a hefty assignment and indeed ambitious. The committee is going to work in good spirits. ”
